Shah left stunned by shock omission
OWAIS SHAH yesterday admitted he felt hard done by at being left out of England’s one-day squad for the winter tour of South Africa.
The Middlesex batsman has been a mainstay of the one-day side for the past 12 months and helped England qualify for the semi-finals of the Champions Trophy just 12 days ago with a magnificent knock of 98 from 89 balls against the Proteas.
But that still wasn’t enough to earn the 30-year-old a second trip to South Africa with the returning Kevin Pietersen and recalled Jonathan Trott preferred, while selectors also handed opener Alastair Cook a one-day reprieve in place of out-of-form Ravi Bopara.
“I’m extremely disappointed,” Shah said. “I thought I performed reasonably well in helping England get to the semi-final stage of the Champions Trophy.”
Asked if he thought he’d done enough in the tournament to retain his place in the said, he replied: “Yeah, I’d have like to have thought so.
“I felt I was playing well – sure I didn’t have a great series against Australia in the summer but I felt I was hitting the ball reasonably well.
“I felt really confident with my game, especially after performing against South Africa. Unfortunately, though, I’ve missed out on the tour.”